Former Oklahoma governor David Hall dies at 85

This is an archived article and the information in the article may be outdated. Please look at the time stamp on the story to see when it was last updated.

Former Oklahoma Gov. David Hall

Former Oklahoma governor David Hall dies at 85

Former Oklahoma Gov. David Hall

OKLAHOMA CITY – A former Oklahoma governor has died at the age of 85.

David Hall served as Oklahoma’s governor from 1971 to 1975.

Hall’s reputation was tarnished after he was indicted by a federal grand jury just three days after leaving office. He served 19 months in prison for extortion and bribery convictions.

He became the first Oklahoma governor to be convicted of criminal acts committed during his tenure.

He maintained his innocence the rest of his life.

Hall published a book decades after his conviction to tell his side of the story, entitled “Twisted Justice: A Memoir of Conspiracies and Personal Politics.”

KFOR has learned that Hall died at his home in California.

Hall was 85-years-old.

Governor Mary Fallin issued the following statement:

“My thoughts and prayers are with the family of former Governor David Hall. During his tenure as governor, he focused on the state’s education system and was committed to expanding Oklahoma’s roads. He called education the ‘golden problem solver of the 20th century,’ and introduced what was then the largest-road-building program in Oklahoma history.
“I served as a page at the Capitol my sophomore year at Tecumseh High School, and still have the picture Governor Hall took with me.”